Overview

The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program in San Diego trains students to practice ethical, equitable, and inclusive quality health care with all populations, respecting cultural factors, context, and occupational justice needs. The two-year hybrid program adheres to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) philosophy. It will prepare students to implement occupational therapy assessments and interventions with populations across their lifespans in traditional and emerging practice areas and settings and work with various diagnoses. 

Regional accreditation is from the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

Admission Criteria

• Complete a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university recognized by a regional accreditation agency.
• Applicants must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 for all required prerequisite courses.
  • Prerequisite courses may be repeated only once; the second-course grade will be used to calculate the average GPA.
  • Prerequisite courses must be completed within seven (7) years of the submitted application.
  • Prerequisite courses may be taken at any regionally accredited community college, public or private college or university.
• All applicants must meet the program’s health requirements.

All applicants must show proof of application or up-to-date clearances (drug screening, background screening, criminal check, and child abuse clearance), immunizations, and health screenings 30 days before the program starts.

Prerequisite Courses

Seven (7) prerequisite courses are required before beginning the MOT curriculum:

• Statistics (3 credits): ex. Elementary statistics, business statistics, social sciences statistics
• Social Science course (3 credits): ex: Sociology, cultural anthropology, public health
• Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)
• Human Growth and Development of the Lifespan (3 credits)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab (4 credits) 
• Human Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab (4 credits) 
• Medical Terminology (1 credit)

Advanced Placement (AP) courses used for prerequisites may be accepted with a score of “4” or “5” if completed within seven (7) years of the submitted application. 

The Master of Occupational Therapy program follows Alliant International University’s Transfer Credit Policy found in the Student Handbook. For more information see: https://catalog.alliant.edu/content.php?catoid=43&navoid=1625&hl=transfer+credits&returnto=search#transfer-credit

Experimental learning credits will not be accepted as a prerequisite toward fulfilling the prerequisite requirements. 

GRE scores are not required.

Observation Hours

• All applicants must participate in 20 hours of observation shadowing an occupational therapist. This requirement may be completed in one of two ways:
  • Observation hours may be completed at multiple locations where the applicant may observe an occupational therapist. This requirement is for applicants to demonstrate that they understand the role of occupational therapy in healthcare. Applicants must upload proof of observation hours to the OTCAS.  For more information regarding sites allowing students to observe occupational therapy, contact the Program Director, adele.breenfranklin@alliant.edu.
  • Applicants may view the video from ClinEdWeb (Clinedweb.com) Intro to OT: 20 observation hours ($55.00). Upload your completion certificate in OTCAS.

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants must submit two (2) letters of recommendation.

• One academic letter of recommendation
• One letter of recommendation may be from a volunteer organization or professional supervisor, manager, or occupational therapist or additional academic reference. A reference from an occupational therapist is preferred.
• Letters from family and/or friends are not accepted.

Personal Essay

Applicants are required to submit a personal essay to the OTCAS. Essays should be no more than 500 words and answer the following questions:

• Explain why you selected occupational therapy as your career and how occupational therapy relates to your short-term and long-term professional goals.
• How has your academic and personal journey influenced your professional goals, and how it may influence your skills as a practitioner?

Resume

Applicants must submit their resume through OTCAS.

International Students

See the Alliant International Student Admissions Policy for international students https://www.alliant.edu/admissions/international.

Accreditation

The entry-level occupational therapy master’s degree program has applied for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. The program must be granted Candidacy Status, have a preaccreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure. In addition to the above statements, the program must have a documented and published policy to ensure that students complete all graduation and fieldwork requirements in a timely manner.

Students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork within 12 months following completion of the didactic portion of the program